African Parks, a non-profit conservation organisation that takes full responsibility for the rehabilitation and management of national parks based in South Africa, is expected to invest around one million dollars a year in the park, reveals Angop.
The decision to manage the park in conjunction with the organisation comes under the management, rehabilitation and construction plan for the Iona National Park, revealed Aristófanes Pontes, general director of the National Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation Areas.
He considered that the agreement will be very beneficial to the government. The partnership with African Parks will allow the executive to gain experience and knowledge about managing parks of this kind.
This is the first time the country has taken on the shared management of a park, said Aristófanes Pontes, adding that the executive is already preparing to extend the measure to other parks.
The joint management of the Iona National Park will last at least 15 years, and may extend to 30 years, depending on the type of investment made.
Iona National Park is located in the Namib desert and is home to the world's oldest plants, Welwitchia Mirabilis - also known as the 'desert octopus'.
